Newsletter

Councilmen envision a Garden City 'downtown' with City Hall move

Garden City's mayor and councilmen discussed eight potential locations for a new City Hall during a public workshop on Saturday.

The council announced last week that the Georgia Ports Authority had tentatively agreed to buy the current City Hall at 100 Main St. and the surrounding property for $3.39 million.

Four of the discussed sites were chosen as favorites during Saturday's meeting. The Traffic Circle Shopping Center on Burnsed Boulevard and the corner of Main Street topped the list.

Mayor Andy Quinney said the shopping center was a "great idea for the future," and he envisioned creating the city's first "downtown" in the area.

"We lean on Savannah," Quinney said. "We lean on them for our entertainment. We lean on them for shopping. We don't need to do that. Let's make Savannah come to us."

Quinney said the property would be developed in phases and take about 20 years to turn into a government and business center. The council's first priority would be to build City Hall.

Sylvan Byck said Monday that he has owned the shopping center for about 25 years. The property isn't listed, but Byck said he would entertain an offer to sell.

"If it's something that would help Garden City, I'd be happy to discuss it with them," Byck said.

Other council favorites included 3.3 acres owned by the Georgia Department of Transportation next to the park at Sharon Park; the city's 10 acres on U.S. 80 in the area between Griffin Avenue and Badger Rental; and the Westside Shopping Center off U.S. 80.

The council also briefly discussed whether the City Hall and the police department locations should be combined or have their own buildings.

The council showed tentative support for using the 13.7-acre old school property on Oak Street in the Rossignol Hill area as a site for the city's public works department and recreation facilities. Traffic would be rerouted to alleviate traffic concerns.

Quinney said the GPA still had to find the funds and get state approval to purchase City Hall. He said the council probably wouldn't be ready to move for at least two years.